Will Rollins will once again try to do something no one’s done in 30 years — beat Rep. Ken Calvert in an election.
Rollins, a Democrat and former federal prosecutor, announced Tuesday, May 16, that he would run for California’s 41st Congressional District seat in 2024. Despite matching Calvert’s fundraising prowess, Rollins came up 11,100 votes short in losing in November to Calvert, R-Corona, 52.3% to 47.7%.
“I’m running for Congress because it’s time that 41st Congressional District residents have a representative who rejects the corruption and extremism in Washington and has the courage to put people over politics and profits,” Rollins said in a news release.
“Having worked in law enforcement, I know that the threats facing our democracy and our communities still loom large. But Ken Calvert doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to his own party, let alone keep our communities safe or put the needs of working families first.”
Jason Gagnon, a Calvert campaign spokesperson, said via email that Rollins “is an inflation Democrat who supports reckless spending and higher taxes.”
Gagnon added: “Will’s last campaign was based on lies and slanderous attacks on Ken Calvert’s character as a way to mask his radical inflationary policies. Thankfully, voters saw through Will’s lies and elected Ken Calvert by more than 11,000 votes and nearly five percentage points.”
Drawn through 2021 political redistricting, the 41st represents Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Indian Wells, Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Menifee, Norco, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Wildomar and parts of Corona, Eastvale and Riverside.
Two other Democrats — San Jacinto City Councilmember Brian Hawkins and Lake Elsinore City Councilmember Tim Sheridan — have announced plans to run in the 41st.
In launching his 2024 campaign, Rollins also trumped endorsements from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all three Democrats running for U.S. Senate — Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — and former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California.
The Inland Empire’s longest-serving congressmember, Calvert has never lost re-election since he arrived on Capitol Hill in 1993. But redistricting took away Calvert’s GOP-friendly district and replaced it with one with a near-even voter registration split between Republicans and Democrats.
Calvert, who has opposed same-sex marriage, also inherited the LGBTQ haven of Palm Springs. He now says it’s settled law and voted to extend federal protections to same-sex couples while Rollins, who is gay, attacked Calvert’s record on LGBTQ issues.
Rollins also called Calvert corrupt and portrayed him as a right-wing extremist. Calvert denied Rollins’ accusations that he used his office to enrich himself and painted Rollins as a far-left candidate who was out of touch with the 41st and beholden to a tax-and-spend agenda.
In the past, Calvert far outpaced his opponents’ political fundraising. But Rollins raised $3.78 million in the 2022 election cycle, compared to $3.72 million for Calvert, who raised roughly $1 million in the first three months of 2023, one of the highest totals for any House incumbent during that timeframe.
With the GOP holding just a nine-seat majority in the House of Representatives, the race for the 41st could loom large in the larger fight for control of Congress. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put the district on its target list of seats it thinks it can flip in 2024.
